Expand and build upon the knowledge already acquired in Course 10961 and focus on building more scalable and usable Windows PowerShell scripts for use in your organization by building your own Windows PowerShell tools. Learn about areas such as the creation of advanced functions, script modules, advanced parameters attributes and controller scripts. Also learn how to make your scripts more robust by learning about handling script errors and the analysis and debugging Windows PowerShell scripts. The course will also cover the use of Windows PowerShell cmdlets with .NET Framework as well as teaching how to configure your Windows Servers using Desired State Configuration and providing an understanding of Windows PowerShell workflow.

The detailed hands on labs and in depth content and learning will help remove manual tasks that you may currently have to perform as an Administrator, allowing you to make your own Windows PowerShell tools for automated, repeated, accurate management and provisioning of your Windows Server infrastructure.

Audience profileThis course is intended for IT Professionals already experienced in general Windows Server and Windows Client administration or already experienced in administering and supporting Application servers and services including applications such as Exchange, SharePoint, and SQL. System, Infrastructure and Application Administrators working in a Windows or Windows hybrid environment will all find this course relevant to their day to day jobs and future career and skills development.

The course is also intended for IT Professionals who want to build upon existing Windows PowerShell knowledge and skill to learn how to build their own tools for broader general use in their organization, using any Microsoft or independent software vendor (ISV) product that supports Windows PowerShell manageability.

At course completionAfter completing this course, students will be able to:

Experienced in general Windows Server and Windows Client administration or already have experience in administering and supporting Application servers and services including applications like Exchange, SharePoint, and SQL.

Course Outline

Module 1: Creating Advanced FunctionsIn this module students will learn how to parameterize a command into an advanced function. It is designed to teach several key principles in a single logical sequence, by using frequent hands-on exercises to reinforce new skills.

Module 2: Using Cmdlets and Microsoft .NET Framework in Windows PowerShellWindows PowerShell provides commands that accomplish many of the tasks that you will need in a production environment. Sometimes, a command is not available but the .NET Framework provides an alternate means of accomplishing a task. Because Windows PowerShell is built on the .NET Framework, it is able to access those alternate means. In this module, you will learn how to discover and run Windows PowerShell commands, and how to use .NET Framework components from inside Windows PowerShell. These two techniques will provide you with the most flexibility and capability for accomplishing tasks in a production environment.

Module 3: Writing Controller ScriptsIn this module, students will learn how to combine tools – advanced functions that perform a specific task – and a controller script that provides a user interface or automates a business process.

Module 4: Handling Script ErrorsIn this module, students will learn how to perform basic error handling in scripts. The focus will be about how to add error handling to existing tools, primarily as a time-saving mechanism (instead of having students write new tools). A side benefit of this approach is that it will help build the skills that you must have to analyze and reuse existing code written by someone else.

Module 5: Using XML Data FilesIn this module, students will learn how to read, manipulate, and write data in XML files. XML files provide a robust, yet straightforward way to store both flat and hierarchical data. XML files are more flexible than CSV, more accessible for small amounts of data than SQL Server, and easier to code against that Excel automation.

Module 6: Managing Server Configurations by Using Desired State ConfigurationIn this module, students will learn how to write Desired State Configuration (DSC) configuration files, deploy those files to servers, and monitor servers’ configurations.

Module 7: Analyzing and Debugging ScriptsIn this module, students will learn how to use native Windows PowerShell features to analyze and debug existing scripts. These skills are also useful when students have to debug their own scripts.

Module 8: Understanding Windows PowerShell WorkflowIn this module, students will learn about the features of the Windows PowerShell Workflow technology.